Ubisoft’s big Star Wars Outlaws update overhauls stealth, combat, and those Uncanny Valley NPCs

We already knew Title Update 4, the big Star Wars Outlaws update teased a while back, had big fixes in store, but Ubisoft finally said what they are

Ubisoft

We already knew Title Update 4, the big Star Wars Outlaws update teased a while back, had big fixes in store, but Ubisoft finally said what they are in detail. Stealth and combat get some much-needed improvements, but best of all, so do the character models and animations.

• Read more: Star Wars Outlaws review - This is the way

As promised, Title Update 4 overhauls how stealth works. Ubisoft made it easier to determine how aware guards are of Kay’s presence, and when things go wrong, Kay can just blast her way out of the situation. That’s true for quests, as usual, but also for forays into Star Wars Outlaws' Syndicate territory. From the sound of it, getting discovered won’t automatically kick you back to a save point. You’ll just have to fight your way out of it. Ubisoft didn’t say whether that means stealth is no longer an option from then on, or if enemy awareness is limited to that specific area.

Cover works more effectively now, thanks to new camera options that let you adjust the viewpoint over Kay’s other shoulder and peer around while crouched. Enemy weak points are a thing now, which should make getting Quint’s expert skills a bit more enjoyable, and in addition to dealing more damage with headshots, you can target combustion packs and other Stormtrooper paraphernalia to cause mayhem. Ubisoft adjusted extra weapons, such as sniper rifles and automatic guns, so Kay can climb and jump while holding them instead of having to drop them like before. The idea is to give you more ways to approach battles and make those weapons more useful and exciting.

Star Wars Outlaws Title Update 4 also made other refinements to blaster modules, but didn’t detail what those are, and improved enemy AI so Kay’s foes are smarter, more capable, and deadlier. No more standing around while she casually picks them off.

• Read more: Star Wars Outlaws guide and walkthrough

There’s a wide range of other fixes as well, but the ones that are just as important as stealth and blaster fights are NPC animations and improved camera lenses. Outlaws’ character models looked rough outside of cinematic cutscenes at launch. Title Update 4 swaps the gameplay camera lens for one that makes models look more human – or alien, as the case may be – and less like clay figures come to life. NPCs are also more expressive during conversations now and do more than occasionally flap their hands a bit.

The free new Star Wars Outlaws update is live now with the launch of the paid Wild Card expansion.